Ecija village a fruit of kids’ bayanihan

SAN ISIDRO, Nueva Ecija — The bayanihan (community) spirit is still very much alive, and this time, it’s the children who are showing the way.

In this landlocked province, bayanihan among the youth has brought into reality a dream village for the homeless residents of this town.

The dream village, called "GK-Batang Bayani Village," now houses poor children and their families on a one-hectare land along Governor Joson Road in Barangay Tabon.

San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo told The STAR that the housing complex is the labor of love of 45 children aged four to 12, who worked for eight months starting April this year to build the houses like true-blue carpenters using shovels, hammers, saws and other tools. They also painted the houses in various colors.

Lorenzo, Vice Mayor Dong Lopez and members of the municipal council, along with the other project proponents, turned over the 12 duplex housing units to the children-beneficiaries over the weekend.

Each unit has a sala, dining area and comfort room. A washing area is located at the back of the house.

Behind the project were the Couples for Christ (CFC) and the Kids for Christ (KFC), through the Gawad Kalinga-Batang Bayani (GK-BB), the Ronald McDonald House of Charities (RMHC) and the municipal government.

Gary Reyes, GK-BB chairman, said the housing units, which measure 34 square meters and which cost P50,000 each, were the fruits of true bayanihan spirit with the children taking the lead.

He said the children, some of them in pre-school, virtually took care of everything from raising and soliciting funds to actually building the houses which took eight full months to build. The children also saved their allowances for the project.

Jose Nagayo, a retired schoolteacher, donated half of the lot for the GK-Batang Bayani Village, while the other half was purchased by fourth district Rep. Rodolfo Antonino.

Reyes recalled that during the project’s ground-breaking last April, the elders were the ones who initially worked on the site.

"We told (the children) to just play around while we built the foundations of the houses," he said.

But when the children saw them digging, they told their elders that they wanted to build the houses themselves.

"At first, we really did not think the children could do it. We underestimated their capabilities. When they started reinforcing the bars and using the tools, we were really surprised," Reyes said.

"Maybe, it became easier to the kids because for them, it was still play while for us, it was work," he said, adding that the elders merely guided the children in their chores.

The children also put on the finishing touches on the houses by painting the walls and roofs in varied colors.

Miko Lorenzo, the mayor’s grandson and one of the GK builders, said painting the houses was "fun and it helped the people."

The children’s deeds so touched the elders that many of them wept unabashedly during the turnover ceremonies.

Jose Mari Oquinena, a GK advocate, said the GK-Batang Bayani Village is a source of pride for the children.

"How many children could actually say that we built that village?" he said.

Reyes said the village, one of 10 they intend to build until 2007, will also be transformed into a child-friendly community with a playground and football field.

Other GK-Batang Bayani villages are planned in Cavite, Batangas, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro City, Leyte and Davao.